A Case Study in Censorship, Made in Brazil
Chances are good you have seen the movie "2012," the blockbuster flick that toys with the speculation that that year will mark the end of the world.
All sorts of catastrophes take place in the film by virtue of astonishing special effects.
The destruction is worldwide, including Rio de Janeiro, where the emblematic statue of Christ the Redeemer also succumbs to the cataclysm.
But the Brazilian Catholic Church yelled, "Cut!" and it's threatening to take legal action against the studio, Columbia Pictures, for improper use of the statue's likeness.
The Hollywood Reporter:
If they ask us, the potential plaintiffs are cutting this one very thin, especially after the studio did get permission from the estate of the sculptor to use the image in the movie.
And if they ask us twice, we get a whiff of what could happen if the clergy are given ample powers to act against perceived blasphemy, no matter the country and beyond any borders.
And that would be a terrifying movie indeed.
All sorts of catastrophes take place in the film by virtue of astonishing special effects.
The destruction is worldwide, including Rio de Janeiro, where the emblematic statue of Christ the Redeemer also succumbs to the cataclysm.
But the Brazilian Catholic Church yelled, "Cut!" and it's threatening to take legal action against the studio, Columbia Pictures, for improper use of the statue's likeness.
The Hollywood Reporter:
A lawyer for Brazil's Catholic Church has gone public with a dispute over the destruction of Rio de Janeiro's famous Christ the Redeemer statue in November's global hit "2012." Seems the church didn't enjoy the scene as much as we did, prompting archdiocese attorney Claudine Dutra to tell the AFP that Columbia didn't get a proper copyright license to depict the country's most famous statue.
Brazil uses a variation on U.S. copyright law, granting copyright to the author of a work until his death, then to his estate or heirs for another 70 years. Christ the Redeemer was created in 1931 by French artist Paul Landowski on commission from the Rio archdiocese. Landowski died in 1961, and the archdiocese says it holds copyright until 2032.
Brazil uses a variation on U.S. copyright law, granting copyright to the author of a work until his death, then to his estate or heirs for another 70 years. Christ the Redeemer was created in 1931 by French artist Paul Landowski on commission from the Rio archdiocese. Landowski died in 1961, and the archdiocese says it holds copyright until 2032.
If they ask us, the potential plaintiffs are cutting this one very thin, especially after the studio did get permission from the estate of the sculptor to use the image in the movie.
And if they ask us twice, we get a whiff of what could happen if the clergy are given ample powers to act against perceived blasphemy, no matter the country and beyond any borders.
And that would be a terrifying movie indeed.
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